Blind Childrens Center

4120 Marathon Street, Los Angeles, California 90029 (323)664-2153

A family-centered agency serving children with visual impairments

IN THIS REPORT

THE YEAR IN REVIEW 2002 | 2003 Blind Childrens Center

What do you do if your new baby is diagnosed with severe visual impairment?

The immediate intervention provided by the Blind Childrens Center ensures that families have opportunities to bring the sighted world to their child ... to bring an array of typical childhood experiences into their lives ... and to begin learning very specific skills to help them meet the unique challenges they face.

As we begin our 65th year of service, we realize more than ever the significance of this early training. Center graduates from past decades now hold professional positions and enjoy success at various stages of their lives.

PROGRAMS & SERVICES

• 85 students and their families received direct services from Blind Childrens Center professional staff.

• 30 families were enrolled in the Preschool Program. All children in the preschool attend five days a week.

• 24 families were served in the Infant Program. Three of the families were only seen in the home. The majority of families elect to enroll in the Center-based program as soon as possible. The family worker visited the families at home, in the hospital, and accompanied families to doctor visits.

• 31 families, in addition to those enrolled, were served through the social service department.

• 14 children graduated and professional assistance was provided for placement.

• Special activities for the children, in addition to the many academic and social experiences offered daily, included: Centurion’s picnic; Snow Day with 10 tons of snow; L.A. Marathon; Adventure Land theme park; reptile visit; and various annual holiday parties.

• The Infant Program added a class two mornings a week.

• A new parent group was developed (Raices) which addresses the Latino parent of a special needs child – learning the world of special needs, learning the culture of America, and adjusting to the language differences. This program was developed in collaboration with various community agencies.

• 30 graduate students from local colleges and universities interned for special education training.

• A panel of Blind Childrens Center education staff presented on Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH) at the state conference for teachers of the visually impaired. Professionals in the field are extremely interested in strategies that our staff have developed to work with the unique conditions these children face. The same staff authored an article on ONH which was published in the professional journal, RE:view.

• 25 outreach presentations, both for professionals and the general community, were delivered by the social service staff.

• Pediatric residents from Childrens Hospital, Jules Stein, USC, UCLA and Cedars Sinai made regular monthly observations. Sixty doctors were introduced to the Blind Childrens Center to learn about the impact of early intervention for the child and family.

• 4,890 of our Blind Childrens Center publications were distributed throughout the world. This is a 64% increase from last year.

2002/2003 FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Administration, Development, and Public Information costs are supported by the Investment Account. Audited Financial Statements are available upon request.

DEVELOPMENT & ADMINISTRATION

• The support of all our donors provided 86.2% of the operating budget to Direct Services for the children and families; 4.7% for Public Information; 7.0% for Development; 1.2% for Administration; and 0.9% for Research.

• Light the Way Circle membership grew from 90 to 103 members contributing to the overall individual support at 58.2% of our fund raising effort.

• Grant funding from foundations, corporations, civic groups and employee groups accounted for 41% of our fund raising.

• Special event revenues accounted for 28% of our fund raising effort.

• Regular special events continued with the Roddy Hiatt Golf Tournament; Select Office Solutions Golf Tournament; Les Marraines Luncheon; VIP Golf Reception; The Tom Sullivan Blind Childrens Center Celebrity Golf Classic; LA Marathon; LAPD Centurions football games; and the Longest Day of Golf.

• The first Robert Stack Achievement Award was presented by Mrs. Stack in honor of Mr. Stack’s dedication to the Center. It was presented to Rick Plath, Blind Childrens Center graduate and Board member. Rick earned two degrees at USC, had a career in public relations, and currently holds leadership positions with many volunteer organizations.

• Research Committee accepted “Exploring the Causes of High Myopia Following Peripheral Retinal Ablation for Retinopathy of Prematurity” as the 2003/2004 project. Drs. David K. Coats and Mohammed A.W. Hussein will conduct the research at Texas Children’s Hospital.

• Our education staff and families participated with two professor’s of psychology from Central Michigan University in a study on exploratory behavior of infants, both sighted and visually impaired. The results should be available in the fall.

• 30 volunteers from Pepperdine University accomplished a myriad of tasks during their “Step Forward Day.”

• Over 60 Delta Gammas from local universities supported the Marathon fund raising through a series of car washes at the Blind Childrens Center.

• Seimen’s Building Technologies, Inc. donated a new security alarm system.

Over 65 years, we have seen the Early Intervention Program receiving more medically fragile infants requiring more comprehensive service, more preschoolers with more diverse diagnoses, and more families with increased emotional and intellectual challenges. The continued support of our volunteers and donors makes it possible for us to uphold the quality of service provided to these children and families, reaching more people with more services than ever before.

Thank you for being a vital part of our success.

Previous annual report: 2001/2002

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